When it came to the homemade dishwasher soap...It was a mixed bag. Yes, it works...but so does the $1 a box stuff from the dollar store. And it does about the same number of loads. Oh, and if you can't get bulk citric acid and have to rely on the lemon Kool Aid...it costs the same as just running to the dollar store.

Now, lets get to the meat and potatoes of cleaning...or rather the vinegar and baking soda.

If you plan to make any of your own cleaning products, start with these basics. In fact, just go to Costco or Sam's and skip the grocery store sized containers. I always wondered who bought vinegar and baking soda in such large quantities...now I know...

People who make their own cleaners.

The big question is...does it work? Will Vinegar and baking soda really clean just about anything?

Yes. Yes and YES.

In order to give this a proper test, I had to let my stove get dirty. It wasn't hard. I took one for the team and...didn't clean my stove for several days.

You're welcome.

Gross, right?

The first step to cleaning the cooked on greasy grime is to sprinkle it with baking soda. Next, wet a cloth and rub the baking soda into the grime. Then, wipe up the baking soda.

That's it.

In about a minute, my stove looked like this:

And...it doesn't just work on stoves. You know how pans get grease residue that builds up? It takes that off, too!

The other night, I broiled some meat and then The Boy sent my stainless steal pan through the dishwasher without getting out the burnt on broiler goo...

And if you're stopping by from one of the link parties that featured this blog post, and have an awesome project if your own to share, please do so at the link party I Co-Host every Thursday! Pin Inspiration Thursday!

Micki,Love this post! I love finding that I can use products I already have and don't have to spend a fortune on a specific stove product that won't work! Thanks for sharing at Creative Thursday each week. I appreciate YOU! Can't wait to see what you link up next :)MichelleLove the new blog look too :)

Baking soda and vinegar are my secret tools for cleaning. I learned about them from my mother-in-law and she swore by them until I had to try it by myself. Awesome post! Thanks so much for sharing at Mom On Timeout!

I tried vinegar and Dawn dish soap for a shower scrub. It worked OK--not much better than store-bought spray, but the worst part was the smell that has been lingering for 4 days, no matter how many fans, air fresheners, etc. The vinegar odor turned into an even more foul smell! Don't try that one!

I liked your blog. I made the laundry detergent also. Loved it at first, especially the price. But then I started noticing a smell while wearing the clothes. It is a gross smell that you can smell on people that don't wash their laundry very often. I am thinking of just adding it to my Tide and see if I can come up with a way to stretch it a bit. Some savings is better than none.

I just tried the baking soda on the top of my gas stove which had not only the brown spots, but the burnt on black spots. I tried everything to clean it including SOS pads, powdered cleanser, and other products, but nothing worked. That is until now. I am absolutely amazed! The baking soda cleaned it up and looks like new. I must admit, since the black spots were burnt on, I had to use a toothbrush and plenty of elbow grease to get it off, but it got it off. Thank you so much for this solution.